As usual, the most insightful and intelligent comment comes from Quill! This especially:
At how many junctures during the unfolding of this incident should the utilization of a bit of common sense resulted in its participants questioning their premise...
Sad to say, I see this in my own life. People misunderstand, leap to conclusions, assume that what they think they see or hear is the truth. And as Quill so aptly points out, too many of us let others do our thinking for us.
Shame on me for not seeing this post earlier and nominating it for the #freewritehouse Friday Favorites!